I just stumbled on this a bit too late to actually be able to effect it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Enforcement#Greg...
Summary: -- User is sent to Arbcom for date delinking. The Arbcom remedy, however, prohibits him from making _any style change_ that is not specified by a style guideline. -- Someone edits 4 out of 24 links to remove style. This user changes them back. Result: user is blocked.
Problems with this: -- The user was blocked for 24 additional hours because he did this after a *mistaken* block. (Yes, really.) -- Banning style changes is like banning use of the letter "Z". It bans a huge number of things that are not abuse and puts stumbling blocks where normal activity now turns into violation of an Arbcom remedy. -- The blocking admin decided that "because Arbitration Committee decisions are binding, we cannot review this restriction here on its merits, but must enforce it." The idea of common sense seems to completely escape some admins. -- This decision apparently runs on the principle that the user must himself describe the style guideline that his action meets. Lots of people do things that follow rules without being able to name the rule. The blocking admin obviously didn't make a good faith effort to determine himself if a style guideline was involved, rather than saying that the user is guilty because he hasn't named one. It took me only a few minutes to find a style guideline that demands consistency and makes this action legal.
On Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 10:02 AM, Ken Arromdee arromdee@rahul.net wrote:
Summary: -- User is sent to Arbcom for date delinking. The Arbcom remedy, however, prohibits him from making _any style change_ that is not specified by a style guideline.
Point of information: the restriction is not regarding *making* style changes, but *reverting* style changes. That's a horse of an entirely different color.
I should say that I'm not at all familiar with Greg L's involvement at that arb case, but if someone came in front of the committee over this sort of thing, it seems safe to say it's become a significant behavioral issue, without necessarily commenting for or against it.
Looks like the block expired two weeks ago, ish. Not that I'm trying to stifle discussion, just hoping to make that clear for perspective.
-Luna